Wow, sounds like you're having quite a time. I hope it levels out soon, sometimes I think the hardest kind of winter is the one where it's like a roller coaster ride, you just never know what to do

Oh my goodness, you are going to need help with all that knitting Well I send you and your family more congratulations, both for the babies and the upcoming weddings You have so much activity going on in your family, I don't know when the last wedding was in our family on either side, or when the last baby was born! Anyway, have your nephew and niece decided on dates yet?

Quick quilting update...THEY'RE DONE Last week we threw all our energy into finishing those things, we literally worked several of our fingers raw but we got them done. Mom drove into town Thursday afternoon and dropped them in the mail (not before she got pictures though ) We enjoyed working on them but we're so glad they're done and on their way. Grandma and Aunt Joyce should receive them sometime today or tomorrow!

I got my new blog all set up, had a bit of a time doing it though, it took all weekend So hopefully I'll be able to get some pictures up in the next few weeks, I have so many pictures waiting I wonder if I'll ever catch up all the way! But no matter what I'll give it my best shot

Well good luck on your hunt for patterns! Let me know what you want me to work on

Off to knit another few rows

Jennifer Anne

P.S. It's Great Aunt Actually, thinking about it, I only have two 'Aunts' all the others are Great Aunts

Well, Jennifer Anne, I think you hit the nail on the head - it looks like we're going to have a Roller Coaster Winter. Usually, it's either "cold" or "really cold" - but for the next week or so, they're using words like "frigid" and "arctic". We had another bad snowstorm on Tuesday, and it snarled up traffic BUT GOOD...a normally 45-minute drive home took me 4 hours that day. So, I'm trying to not think about the entire winter and just concentrate on each day as it comes. I started meditating a couple of months ago, and I think it helps in that regard, too.

My nephew's baby girl is due this coming Saturday, but from what his wife says, the little one doesn't seem to be in any rush to make her Grand Entrance!

I'm still working on the February baby's "Knit Package" - so far, I've made a bib, burp cloth, that Bunny Blanket Buddy from LionBrand.com, and a pair of pants. I started a matching sweater and will finish up with a couple of hats before I call it quits - am I getting a little too obsessive with this baby knitting business??? Oh, and my niece already picked out a name for her little February bundle - Lily. How pretty, and classic!

Regarding those weddings I mentioned: my niece is getting married in May, and my nephew in either September or October. It's funny...since everyone has pretty much grown up and moved away, we really don't see one another very often - but something tells me we're going to get our fair share (and then some!) this year!

I haven't started any new books yet (surprise, surprise!) - how about you? Anything good to recommend?

Oh my goodness 4 hours to drive home Y'all sure have gotten the bad end of the weather this year! Maybe you'll get an early summer as compensation And it's best not to look at the winter as a whole, if you did you'd probably go crazy, I know I would!

We got another dusting of snow on Friday, thankfully it wasn't much. But we're supposed to start getting some low temps overnight again, the lowest I've heard so far is 10. Just in time for Groundhog Day Do you ever do Groundhog Day? We don't go all out, we did for a few years but then the interest in it kind of dwindled. But we still make jokes and stuff about it

I hope little baby doesn't keep mama waiting for very long. All three of us here were late comers. My sis was the longest in coming, three weeks

Well those little baby clothes are so cute, it's gotta be really easy to get carried away! But I think your list sounds fine, a nice rounded out little kit for baby. I think the time to start worrying is when you start getting calls from people asking if you'll please hold off making any more baby things! "We have so many baby things there's no room for the baby!" That's when you know you've gone to far

Oh, I do like that name, Lily. It sounds so bright and cheerful. What colors are Lily's baby things?

Yeah, it's nice to have a busy year every few years and go all out. I think it helps you to appreciate family and everything but not get worn down to far. At least that's the way it is with my family, I do love them all so much but both sides can start to wear on your nerves after awhile Family, who can explain it

I wish I could recommend some great new book, but I'm in pretty much the same knitting stew that you're in I'm just working my way (slowly) through a Mary Higgins Clark book, she writes mystery novels and I like to read her when I have a busy schedule because it's easy for me to get into her books.... that and I really do like her books... a lot There is a book I really want to try reading this year, it's been on my list for a while, it's Alistair Cooks America. If it's really good I'll let you know.

I finished my first sweater, I posted some pix on my blog! I'm really excited and finishing that small one has given me (I think) enough courage to try knitting a human sized one I'm going to have my mom pick me up some yarn when she's in town next, I'll let you know how I progress

Well I think that's all in my little world right now. I hope you have a good week and stay warm

No, I didn't get stuck in a snow bank - although we sure have plenty of them around still!! Whew, what a winter - not the snowiest on record (although we've definitely had our share), but most definitely the coldest, and the one that generated State-Wide Lousy Moods. Sometimes, though, it's actually comforting having soooo many people to be cranky with! Warmer weather is on the way - we're supposed to have a bunch of days in the 40's. Fingers crossed, it'll be the start of a trend!

No, we don't do anything for Groundhog Day - just catch the reports on what the 3 groundhogs in the area have to say. I hear the new Mayor of New York City kinda, sorta DROPPED the City's groundhog...that's one less vote he'll be getting come reelection time, I guess!

There have been baby arrivals since I last wrote! Baby Girl #1 - my nephew's daughter - arrived on Jan. 28 and her name is Emily Lynne. Baby Lily made her entrance on Feb. 23. Both babies are a bit over 6 lbs. and cute as all get-out! My package of knits got to Baby Lily the day after she was born - talk about timing, eh?? I didn't take any pics of what I made - if I'm not in the habit of doing that, it usually slips my mind!! - but the package contained: a pants, sweater and hat set in yellow (my niece Jennifer's favorite color), a bib and burp cloth in yellow and white; a Bunny Blanket Buddy in pink; and the cutest little Cupcake Hat on the planet - the base is brown, the cupcake bright pink, and I topped it off with a red pom-pom "cherry". My niece said she'd send pics, so I'll be sure to post at least one when I get them.

My knitting has slowed down these past few weeks - I'm blaming it on the cold!! I'd better get inspired soon - I have 2 summer babies to knit for!

Ohhh, I've heard of that book "America" - yes, please do let me know how you like it.

I think you should take the plunge and start on a human-sized sweater. You really did do a great job on the teddy bear one. Are you still loving those circular needles? I want to learn the Magic Loop method of knitting, so I used a Christmas gift card and ordered some Addi bamboo circulars with 40-inch cables. I've never used that brand before, so I'll let you know how they are. I like using bamboo needles the best, and I'm hoping these work out.

Well, I think I'll call it a day - I hope all is well with you...take care!

I'm glad to see you're back! I knew last month would be a busy month for you with babies, but I had no idea it would be so awful weather wise! I hope that it starts to warm up for you soon!

Now after hearing about your weather, I feel really bad telling you how nice it's been here At the first of the month we started some seeds in planters and they're starting to come up. We've done spring cleaning on our building and storage building, we got rid of a load of stuff, yay!! Also we've done some 'landscaping' around our place and we helped a neighbor burn off a huge amount of tumbleweeds this past Wednesday. It's actually been a really nice February/March for us.

Congratulations on two new babies, I'm glad to hear they made their way safely into the world Wow the package got there just in time, I love it when things work out like that! I look forward to seeing pics, even if its just one

Oh yes, still totally in love with the circulars! I've started work on a sweater for me. It's a summer sweater, and my mom picked out some lovely cotton thread in 'Seaspray', its actually what I would call a very soft spring green, but you know how they love to come up with fancy names So far it's going really well, very simple. I'll try to take some pictures of the pattern and some pics of the yarn and put them up in the next week or so.

Do let me know how those new needles work out for you, I've never used bamboo needles before but I've read a lot of good things about them. So far my favorites are the metal ones and of course my new birch wood ones:)

Well, I think that's all for now. I send you 'warm' wishes for the coming months

Not only is it sunny right now...it's even in the low 50's - hooray!! For some reason, it's been incredibly windy for a week now - well, they do say that March "comes in like a lion and out like a lamb". Something tells me the March Lamb will be roaring, too1 I'd say that about 3/4 of the snow is gone - just some of those dirty, icy patches here and there. It'll make us all appreciate the blooming flowers even more, I guess!

Wow...sounds like you've been plenty busy these past couple of months. What kind of garden will you be planting? Plenty of produce that can be canned, I'll bet!

I haven't done much reading at all lately, but I have picked up the needles! We're having a "NY" baby shower for my niece Jennifer (great name, huh?? ) at the end of next month. She lives in Ohio and my sister didn't want her traveling while she was very pregnant, so we waited until better weather prevailed. I can't wait to meet Lily! I'm making her a striped bath towel with a hood, 2 washcloths, and 1 or 2 fishy bath mitts - and yes, I WILL remember to take pics! Then, we're having a shower for "the next pregnant niece" in May. She also loves pastel yellow, so I've started a bunting and hat set. I thought about adding something else like slippers or booties, but the bunting is going very slowly, for some reason - maybe I'm still thawing out from winter!! THENNNNN, "the final pregnant niece" is having her shower some time in June. She likes the color theme of pink and grey, so I think I'm going to start with a couple of onesies, and see where they take me - if I don't drop from exhaustion, that is!

Hey, I saw your quilt on your blog - soooo pretty! It reminds me of something you'd see in an Amish home. Speaking of quilts - how did your Grandma and Aunt Joyce like theirs?

I have to thank you again for telling me about the blog on this website - the past 2 entries have been great. I like their buttonhole method much better than making them with yarn overs - I think I just might use the blog method on the bunting.

I'm glad to hear that your weather has improved so much, it should hopefully only get warmer from here on out! We've had some really hard winds out here too, I greatly dislike wind, it always scares me when we get those 40-50 mph winds But you are right, when those flowers come out everybody will be singing

We're going to be doing, mostly, our usual vegetable garden, all kinds of peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, lettuce, okra, squash. But hopefully we'll also be expanding into the realm of fruits this year! Mom went to town yesterday and she brought back some Concord Grape vines a blackberry bush and a raspberry bush. We'll be getting out and planting those probably next week, fingers crossed that they all survive the transplant

Wow, you're going to be having a very knit busy and family busy spring! Watch out with all that knitting, you may start forgetting to eat, drink and possibly breathe because you'll be so absorbed in it! But hey everyone should know that these are the dangers of becoming an in depth knitter, I suffer from these ailments myself on occasion

Oh, Grandma and Aunt Joyce really loved the quilts! It took them a while to get back with us and let us know they'd gotten there and what they thought of them, but they finally came through. So SUCCESS

They do have some really good blog posts here, I love their Weekly Stitch and of course when they come up with these alternate ways of doing things. I'm just wondering what they're doing because they've changed their front page, it kind of threw me for a loop when I first saw it

We've had kind of a rough end of the month. I came down with a bit of a cold and its now passed onto my brother, thankfully I don't think it's hit him as hard as it did me and I'm hoping it doesn't pass on to anyone else. But the hardest thing is that our Leah goat passed away. It was just her time to go, she was 16 years old but we're all having a hard time adjusting to it

But I will say that your post came at just the right time, it lifted my spirits considerably